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Benny Grunch headlines St. Bonaventure Rockin' Cajun Fest

Benny Grunch Antin, center of Benny Grunch and The Bunch, hams it up with Richard and Cathy Kimball of Waggaman, who recently attended Rockin' Cajun Festival in Avondale. They enjoyed an evening of music and fun, listening to the band. The Kimballs have more laughs ahead of them; they purchased the latest version of the band’s '12 Yats of Christmas' CD – the “Economic Recovery and Bailout Edition,” a collection of 25 songs that Antin autographed for them.
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St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Avondale recently held their annual fair, the Rockin’ Cajun Festival, and the headliner was Benny Grunch and The Bunch.

Rockin’ Cajun Festival was posted on the website BennyGrunch.com under the band’s list of scheduled gigs. The promo read, “Finally, some cultcha’ comes to Avondale!”

The Knights of Columbus Council 13349 from Waggaman sponsored the hamburger and hot dog booth at the event.

Richard Kimball of Waggman was among the knights who volunteered in the booth on the first day of the event. He returned to the fair on the second day with his wife, Cathy Kimball.

The couple enjoyed a fun-filled evening, the highlight of which was listening to Benny Grunch and The Bunch, who played for several hours.

Among the songs they performed were audience favorites “Santa and His Reindeer Used to Live Right Here,” and “Ain’t Dere No More – Part 1.”

Benny Grunch Antin, the band’s lead singer and bass guitarist has a great sense of humor and kept the audience laughing before, during and after the performance. He delivered one-liners that were as funny as anything Groucho Marx had ever said, with the added feature of New Orleans references, and, of course, special yat pronunciations, dawlin’.

He announced: “CDs on sale with special Avondale pricin’ of $5. No fancy-smancy Marrero pricing.” “Grunch Road CDs for 5 bucks, that’s the special Avondale pricin’ - no highfalutin’ Westwego pricin’.”

The Kimballs have more laughs ahead of them; they purchased the latest version of the band’s 12 Yats of Christmas CD – the “Economic Recovery and Bailout Edition,” a collection of 25 songs that Antin autographed for them.

Antin asked who in the audience remembered Pontchartrain Beach and the Bali-Hai restaurant, and The Kimballs told him that Louie Mendez of Waggaman once worked at the Bali Hai.

So, he called Mendez over to the microphone and inserted his name into a line in the song “At the Beach, At the Beach.” He sang “Hey Louie, I’d even wear a coat and tie to get back in the Bali-Hai.”

There were lots of laughs, and the band seemed to have as much fun as the audience.

Fall Family Night

Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church will hold Fall Family Night on Nov. 9. Residents are invited to participate in an evening of food and fun, including hay rides. For more information, call the parish office at 504.436.4459. The church is located at 6851 River Road in Waggaman.

Sandra Smith is a Waggaman resident who writes about people and events of community interest. She can be reached at waggamannews@yahoo.com or 504.343.6916.